Jozu walked over and patted Ace on the shoulder.
"Ace, look around."
Ace did.
He saw drunken crewmates with their arms around each other, singing. He saw a giant man dancing clumsily around a bonfire.
He saw Marco laughing as he tossed an overly rowdy crewmate into a temporary pool filled with seawater to cool him off, causing a burst of laughter and even more noise.
This was the daily life of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Everyone is celebrating."
Jozu said, "Celebrating the return of their most important family member. Celebrating that, though we paid a price, we made it through together again."
This was how the Whitebeard Pirates had always been.
Vista laughed. "Scars are medals. The brothers we lost live on in the sake and in the songs."
"And you are one of the most important reasons we are celebrating. So do not put on a guilty face."
"Laugh. Drink. Be loud. That is the best way to honor the brothers who did not make it back."
Ace looked at these older brothers. His eyes burned.
He took a deep breath, nodded firmly, grabbed his sake bowl, and tossed back the liquid.
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard's resounding laugh echoed. He raised his sake bowl. "My sons! To this rare gathering, and to our guests who have come from afar! Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
All the crew, however drunk, raised their cups and roared.
The guests Whitebeard was referring to sat across from him.
Shanks had boarded the Moby Dick with only Benn Beckman and Yasopp. The rest of the Red Hair Pirates stayed on their Red Force, but they could still hear the raucous celebration.
Two Emperor crews traveling together for a time, sharing food and drink, was a rare sight in the Great Pirate Era.
Shanks looked around. "This is the best possible outcome."
Whitebeard was not dead. Ace had been rescued. The pattern of the Emperors had not been broken.
For Shanks, this was an acceptable result.
"Gurararara. We owe you thanks this time."
Whitebeard's massive body leaned forward slightly, his shadow looming over Shanks. He said, with emotion, "This old man is satisfied to be able to protect his sons a while longer."
He paused, looking at Shanks's empty left sleeve. "The arm you bet on the New World truly kicked off an incredible era."
Shanks instinctively touched his left shoulder and smiled. "Perhaps it was fate. I never imagined Luffy would grow so fast."
Fast enough to influence the pattern of the New World.
Shanks raised his cup, downing it in one gulp. He glanced at Whitebeard, narrowing his eyes.
"How are you feeling now?"
"Much better than before. Though I have lost the Gura Gura no Mi, my body seems to have shed years of hidden injuries and the constraints of age. My strength, endurance, and recovery have returned to their peak. Even stronger."
Whitebeard said, "But there is still a cost. When my emotions fluctuate, I feel strange urges. I have to suppress them with willpower."
Shanks's brow furrowed.
Half his body was demonized, the other half normal. Even with all the intelligence he had gathered at Mary Geoise, he had never seen anything so strange.
In the Chamber of Secrets at Mary Geoise, the records of Kokuten Shihai were vague. They only said it was one of Imu-sama's terrifying abilities, capable of turning a person into a monster who would obey only him.
History had no record of anyone ever breaking free from it, let alone retaining their sanity like Whitebeard.
Even the Giant King Harald had not done so.
Shanks himself had paid the price of an arm.
"Be careful," Shanks said.
Whitebeard looked at his boisterous sons around him and laughed. "If Linlin and Kaido want my head, they will have to come themselves. Gurararara."
"And Blackbeard."
Shanks tapped the edge of his sake bowl with his fingertip, producing a clear sound. His expression grew serious. "I have always thought that man is dangerous. Patient. Cunning. Ambitious."
The three scars over his left eye ached faintly. They were a gift from Teach years ago.
And Blackbeard, like Luffy, had become a dual user. That had also surprised Shanks.
Blackbeard's ambition would surely drive him to seek the title of Emperor.
In the coming days, that ambitious man would not stop.
"Teach."
Ace walked over, his voice deep. "The Whitebeard Pirates will deal with him ourselves. It is a family matter."
Shanks said, "Do not do anything rash like before."
Ace was Captain Roger's child. In a way, Shanks saw him as a younger brother.
Otherwise, he would not have warned him so repeatedly.
Ace nodded.
If he had not learned his lesson after one failure, after paying such a heavy price, he would deserve to die and would be letting everyone down.
The Blackbeard Pirates had now gathered a group of Level Six monsters. They were not to be underestimated.
The Whitebeard Pirates could not start a war easily either.
"Ace, Shanks, and Pops."
Just then, Jinbe walked over, holding several new wanted posters.
"Your bounties have been updated."
Ace took his.
1.5 billion berries.
The World Government was certainly wary of the
Pirate King's evil bloodline.
And Luffy's was an unprecedented 3.5 billion.
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard laughed, holding his wanted poster.
The picture was his demonized half-body. His bounty had been slightly increased, but barely. It was more of a symbolic adjustment.
"Straw Hat's bounty is almost catching up to me. The new era is coming on strong."
Whitebeard laughed, glacing at Jinbe. "Jinbe, what are your plans now? Your Warlord title is gone. King Neptune should be able to temporarily stabilize things at Fish-Man Island."
Even without Jinbe as a Warlord, the Whitebeard Pirates' flag still flew over Fish-Man Island. Nothing serious would happen in the short term.
Everyone's attention turned to the former Warlord.
Jinbe had been stripped of his Warlord title and was again a pirate.
But he still belonged to no one. That was a powerful force.
Even Shanks had tried to recruit him, but Jinbe had refused.
Jinbe held Luffy's wanted poster and said, very seriously, "This old man wants to find Luffy and thank him in person."
Jinbe was a very earnest man.
Shanks heard this and laughed. "Hahaha! So Jinbe, you have also been completely won over by Luffy! That boy's charm is indeed special."
Jinbe nodded solemnly.
Like Pops and Ace, Luffy was the third man to win him over.
That kind of courage and charm made even him admire him.
That was how pirates were. Those with unique charm always attracted a steady stream of strong fighters.
Whitebeard looked at Jinbe, his eyes showing approval.
He knew Jinbe was a man of deep loyalty and strong principles. For him to say this was not easy.
"Gurararara. Then go."
Whitebeard reached into his coat and took out a small piece of Vivre Card.
It was a piece of paper made from his body. No matter the distance, it would point to him.
He tore off about a quarter and handed it to Jinbe.
"Take this. When you meet Straw Hat, give it to him. I owe him a drink. When he comes to the New World, he must drink with me! I want to see if a brat with two legendary fruits has improved his tolerance!" Whitebeard laughed.
The commanders and crew who heard this looked surprised.
Pops's Vivre Card!
Not just anyone could get that.
In the New World, holding Whitebeard's Vivre Card was almost like having a protective charm and a pass.
Shanks also smiled. From inside his coat, he took his own Vivre Card and tore off a piece. "Jinbe, take this too."
There had not been enough time to talk then.
"Jinbe, this is Luffy's Vivre Card."
Ace handed Jinbe Luffy's Vivre Card. "I am a poor excuse for a brother. He had to worry about me."
Having his little brother rescue him was certainly embarrassing.
But more than that, he was proud.
Everyone had their own journey. They would meet again in the New World.
...
A few days later.
The Calm Belt, near Amazon Lily.
A small boat slowly came to shore, stopping by a lush uninhabited island.
Luffy was the first to jump off, landing on the soft sand.
The island was not small. The terrain was varied: forests, hills, a waterfall. It was an ideal place to train.
"This is the place."
Rayleigh also got off the boat. "You said you wanted to practice with the Gura Gura no Mi and master your Haki. This is a good place."
Golden Lion looked around and nodded in satisfaction. "A good place. Good for recovery."
"Luffy-sama, Amazon Lily is in that direction. Only half an hour by boat. If you need anything, come at any time."
Hancock pointed toward the distant sea.
She had wanted Luffy to stay on Amazon Lily, but Rayleigh and Golden Lion had argued her down.
She really should not have brought these two old men.
Nearby, Perona floated by Luffy's side, looking drained.
These days, Luffy had been using her relentlessly. Anyone would be drained.
She was not the studious type.
She knew a little about psychological tactics, but not much. Forcing her to develop it as a real skill, she was practically spitting out ghosts.
If there was one thing Perona admired, it was Hancock.
Because in the morning, it was Perona. In the afternoon, it was Hancock.
They were both learning, but Hancock seemed more radiant than ever after these few days.
Perona even suspected their curricula were different.
Why did Hancock look like she was being nourished?
Looking at the results, Perona conceded.
[Through diligent training, your (psychological) level has increased. Proficiency +3.]
[Through...]
For Luffy, training and studying had become a habit.
Returning to this routine after the battle gave him a strange sense of emotion.
Rayleigh and Golden Lion on the boat, seeing Luffy drag Perona to the deck, then Hancock to the room, had only sighed and said youth was good.
But when they saw Luffy actually studying, the two old men were startled.
Especially after mornings and afternoons, when Luffy would spend the evenings training against the huge golden Poneglyph on the Merry.
Golden Lion thought, where does this kid get so much energy?
And that was only the beginning.
A normal person training at such high intensity for a day and maintaining the same level the next would be impressive enough. But then, at 1 am the next day, Golden Lion heard clapping sounds from the deck.
The old man floated out in disbelief and saw Luffy's shadow in the moonlight.
This kid was strange.
Even when he was young, he had never trained so hard. He could admit defeat to someone like this.
There was no helping it. It had become a habit.
For the past year, Luffy had been training at this high intensity.
And the main threat was that threat.
The threat that could damage his body and cause social death simultaneously.
Luffy had only ever resisted it, when no one was around, with Robin's help. But Robin was not here now.
He was called the Fifth Emperor. He had to save face. He had to show the dignity of an Emperor.
Not only could this psychological study help him read others, but it was also useful for doing two things at once.
Luffy had become more practiced at multitasking.
This had helped him make good progress in developing the Gura Gura no Mi.
Finally,
[Fruit Development (Gura Gura no Mi) 1/10]
[You have acquired the ability: Shintai]
The ability Shintai was a state Luffy had been imagining for a while.
During the Impel Down War, Luffy had realized that for Devil Fruit users, seawater was an absolute threat.
Many users had developed various abilities to counter the threat of seawater. Jinbe, as a fish-man, could move freely in the sea, his threat level rivaling an Emperor's.
But Luffy had seen how Whitebeard used the Gura Gura no Mi, simply and crudely blasting the seawater away.
What if he applied it further, to his body?
If he could constantly cover his body with a thin layer of vibration waves, isolating it from the water, could he move freely in the sea for short periods?
"That would counter one of the Devil Fruit user's greatest fears, seawater and Seastone... Like Aokiji. His Hie Hie no Mi, in a sense, uses ice to isolate his body from the water."
Luffy could not wait.
He had to try it.
If he could blast away seawater, could he blast away anything else?
Ice. Magma. Light.
It would be like Armament Haki, but more comprehensive.
"Hey, Luffy, what are you doing?!"
Perona had just recovered a bit of energy when she saw Luffy walking toward the sea.
A Devil Fruit user entering the sea?
Was he suicidal?
"Luffy-sama?!"
Hancock started to jump, but Shakky pulled her back. "Do not forget, you are also a Devil Fruit user, Hancock."
Was lovesickness this severe?
True love indeed.
"Oh ho? You thought of that ability? Straw Hat, you have a good brain."
Golden Lion quickly noticed the water being repelled from Luffy's feet.
"Hahaha! Whitebeard's ability is very useful."
Luffy hopped into the sea, his expression one of surprise.
Since he had eaten his Devil Fruit and became a hammer, how long had it been since he had had a seawater bath?
Though this was not really a bath. He was constantly using vibrations to keep the water away.
"Perona, do you want to try it? It feels good in the sea." Luffy invited Perona, who was floating in the air.
"I am a Devil Fruit user!" Perona jumped.
It seemed he was right.
Then he would enjoy it himself.
Wading in the shallows was no longer enough. He had to try diving.
"What a monster. A Devil Fruit user unafraid of seawater. Jihahaha. I wonder what face Whitebeard would make if he saw his ability used like this."
Golden Lion laughed loudly.
He looked at Rayleigh beside him. The man looked strange, almost troubled.
"Hey, Rayleigh. Are you jealous?"
Golden Lion's voice rose.
This was in front of Shakky!
Everyone in the Rocks Pirates had been sweet on Shakky. And the Roger Pirates were probably much the same.
Now, though he no longer felt that way, he instinctively wanted to show off in front of someone he had once admired.
If he could surpass Rayleigh in every way, it would give him a certain satisfaction.
"No. I was thinking about something." Rayleigh frowned.
"What?"
"A person who has eaten a Devil Fruit since childhood and has never been in the sea suddenly jumps in. What would happen?"
"What else? Of course, he..."
Golden Lion's mouth fell open. He quickly looked toward Luffy. "Nani?!"
He had almost forgotten. That kid could not swim.
Rayleigh was about to move when he stopped.
A huge wave rose from the distant sea. A blue figure burst from the water, carrying Luffy.
"..."
"It is Jinbe. Thanks."
Luffy sat on the ground, gulping air.
He had nearly died.
He had been so excited he had forgotten he could not swim. Though the sea had not weakened him, it had almost drowned him.
One must be in awe of natural disasters. At least, he had to learn to swim first.
Jinbe looked at his own large hands. The vibrating sensation just now... had been Pops's ability?
After Luffy explained, Jinbe was astounded.
A Devil Fruit ability could be developed like that?
As expected of Luffy.
"Hey, Jinbe. You are no longer a Warlord. You did not stay with the Whitebeard Pirates? What are you doing here?" Golden Lion asked.
From what he knew, Jinbe's relationship with the Whitebeard Pirates was quite good.
"This old man came to thank Luffy. There was no time to express my gratitude during the Impel Down war." Jinbe said, very seriously.
"Hehehe. No need to thank me, Jinbe. You are too polite."
"No, Luffy. This is a matter of great gratitude. Please allow me to do something for you."
"Really, there is no need."
"Please allow this old man..."
"...Then how about joining us?" Remembering that Jinbe had just saved him from the sea, Luffy said casually.
"Yes."
Luffy: "Huh?"
Jinbe: "Huh? Huh?"
Perona: "???"
***
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